Frigid Alleys
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: She'd never seen Weiss break like this before, and it was all Ruby could do to hold her together now.


**A little something I threw together in like 20 minutes after seeing a certain piece of fanart: plus-nine,tumblr,com/post/105699546513**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Frigid Alleys

A haunting mist shrouded Vale that evening, thick, white fog heavy with moisture curling mazes through the buildings, down the alleyways.

A light drizzle hissed over the black pavement of the streets, periodically made louder by the passing of an occasional car. Streetlights cut beams of light onto the sidewalks, clouds concealing the moon and preventing it from doing the same.

The weather hadn't prevented team RWBY from making an attempt to enjoy their night out on the town, but their dinner inside a warm family restaurant had come to an abrupt end at the unmistakable sounds of conflict coming from outside the glass.

Hasty hands had left money behind on the tablecloths as they raced for the doors, rushing outside into the harsh chill of the night, following the alarmed shouts and screams. They were weaponless, but not without their basic combat skills and strong senses of justice.

Righteously, they had rushed to the scene of the robbery on a small shoppe across the street, tearing through the rain to reach the perpetrators before harm could come to innocents.

Ruby shouted for fleeing citizens to call the police, but it would be a few minutes until they arrived. Until then, the four girls were on their own.

They came face to face with a group of a dozen people dressed in black, some adorning the ears and tails of animals, while others lacked them. But most of their hoods were marked with the familiar bloody symbol of the White Fang.

Yang charged first, throwing punches and kicks wherever she could, and Blake did her best to cover her partner's blind spots. Ruby utilized her semblance to dart in behind the men and grab any stolen goods they had hidden under their arms. But without their weapons, it was impossible for the girls to apprehend all of the thieves.

It took Ruby a moment to realize Weiss hadn't joined them yet. Thinking her partner might be forming some kind of plan, Ruby quickly sought her out.

But Weiss was still frozen in the doorway, unmoving, her eyes wide in disbelief.

A few of the men ran right past her, and she did nothing to hinder them.

Ruby left Blake and Yang to handle those left inside, and she herself rushed for the door and her partner.

"Weiss!" she cried, screeching to a desperate halt in front of the heiress. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Silver eyes flashed over Weiss' form, but she couldn't detect any wounds on her.

All Weiss could manage by means of a reply was to shake her head, her eyes still hollow, voice thin and lifeless and she whispered:

"I know them..."

Ruby blinked, quickly glancing behind herself toward her sister and Blake. They were managing to contain the other thieves, but at least three had escaped past Weiss just now. Ruby's feet were bouncing in place as she tried to stop herself from darting after them.

"What do you mean?"

Weiss could only swallow and lower her face.

"I know them, Ruby. Those people... they were family. Associates. And they're... working with the White Fang? How could this be?"

Her blue eyes glazed over, as if a screen of impossible equations and numbers had appeared before her, and she hadn't the slightest idea how to go about solving the puzzles.

Ruby put a hand to her partner's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I don't know what's going on, Weiss. I'm sorry that's how it is. But let's catch them. We can catch them and then ask them why they're doing these things, okay?"

She waited, and her heart thumped twice anxiously before Weiss looked up at her again. With a nod, the heiress wiped her eyes.

"You're right. Let's go."

Leaving Yang and Blake to stabilize the situation inside, Ruby and Weiss tore out of the shoppe and into the streets.

It was eerily silent in contrast to the shouts and crashes of sheer chaos from mere moments ago, though Ruby could make out the sounds of sirens in the distant. She tried not to focus on those, but on where the thieves - people Weiss apparently knew personally - could have gone.

But she hadn't had more than a few seconds to think before she caught sight of Weiss dashing off through the rain, pelting across the street and disappearing into a dark, dank alleyway. Ruby cried out her name and followed after her, calling upon her semblance to help her catch up.

Weiss didn't wait for her.

There were no streetlights here, nothing to see by other than a pale, almost sickening glow produced by the mist. But she could just make out the scrambling shadows of retreating forms, only a few dozen years ahead of herself.

She cast glyphs to propel herself, but she was limited on space, and couldn't rely on them for long. Within minutes, she was forced to depend on her own speed, racing as fast as her stride could carry her, empowered by adrenaline and fear and the need for answers. She jumped over fallen trash cans and other debris, unfinished brick walls and deep cement puddles.

Her breath was harsh and white, and she could barely catch it anymore, but she was intent on catching _them_.

She'd recognized their faces - family friends and some of them even related to her by blood. Cousins she'd danced with at parties in younger years. Friends she'd told her secrets to.

Working with the White Fang. Working to destroy her father's company. Those people she'd once loved and admired.

Traitors.

The thoughts eventually weighed her down, and she lost sight of the people before her.

Feeling how badly her legs were trembling, Weiss slumped weakly against the cold, hard wall to her left and sunk to her knees, falling with a splash into a freezing puddle. But the water trickling down her cheeks was warm, hot, and stinging.

Ruby rounded the next corner and found Weiss, crumpled and shaking and small, her pretty silver hair now drenched dark grey, her attire waterlogged and clinging to her slender form.

Ruby rushed to her, fretting she'd been injured, reaching for her hands and holding them tightly in her own as she whimpered her name over and over again. She didn't care if the thieves had gotten away. She just needed Weiss to be alright.

Her partner was silent for a long while, sobbing softly, broken bits of her voice echoing out around the narrow walls of the alley, mixing with the pouring rainfall. Ruby kept one hand over Weiss' and lifted the other to the girl's face. She brushed the slick, grey hair away, tucking it behind Weiss' ear to reveal her eyes, ridden with sorrow and confusion and pain.

All Ruby could do was whisper that she was sorry.

She pressed a kiss to Weiss' temple and slipped her arms around her, coaxing Weiss to wrap her legs around her waist. Slowly, Ruby stood, holding Weiss like a scared child latched onto their mother.

One step, two steps forward, and she pressed Weiss lightly against the side of the nearest building, setting her down on a small jutting of wall so Ruby may tighten her embrace on her back. And she felt Weiss cling to her, tighter than their sopping clothes were clinging to their bodies.

She could feel Weiss' heart jumping frantically in her chest, her body quivering beneath the cold rain. Her prideful composure had cracked and shattered, leaving behind fragmented pieces of the renown heiress.

Closer. Ruby pulled her closer and pressed into her, sharing whatever feeble warmth she could.

Weiss dropped her head onto Ruby's shoulder and sobbed freely, letting out her wails of anguish, the loss of trust she'd once harbored between people she'd used to call family. Ruby squeezed her back tighter still, murmuring calming reassurances into her ear, hushing her and kissing her cheek. She'd never seen Weiss break like this before, and it was all Ruby could do to hold her together now.

She didn't know who these people were to Weiss, but it was clear she'd once cared for them, and they her. And now they'd trampled on her trust for them.

Ruby had vowed long ago that she would never do such a thing, and for now, she told Weiss as much.

"I've got you, Weiss. I'm here. I'll always be here. Promise."

Minutes passed, and the severity of the rain lessened, as did the severity of Weiss' hammering pulse, and her mournful cries. When the sobs quieted down, Weiss' embrace on Ruby faltered, though Ruby continued to support her.

Weiss' voice was small and choked when she next spoke, but Ruby heard her clearly.

"Thank you..."

One more moment. Just one more moment, and Ruby held her like that, kissing her cold cheek one last time before slowly, _slowly_ letting Weiss down onto her feet again.

They were both drenched and shivering, but when Ruby finally glimpsed Weiss' eyes again, something told her they'd be okay.

She stepped forward to hug Weiss once more, and her partner returned the contact for as long as it lasted.

At last, Ruby stepped away, a tiny sad smile curling her lips as she grasped Weiss' hand in hers, entwining their fingers.

They could discuss things later. They could talk more later. They could cry together later. But for now...

"Let's go home."

Weiss squeezed her leader's hand in return and nodded.

Together, they limped back down the alleyways with a cold evening behind them and cold night before them, but only warm hands between them.

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**A/N: Just a quick thing. Sorry I made it it's own story, I just felt it worked better this way than thrown into a compilation of chapters. ALSO, after I wrote and posted this story, I realized in the art they're actually in a hallway... oops...**

**But! Despite that, someone still drew artwork based off this fic! You can see it here: livin-la-vida-coco,tumblr,com/post/105735553867**

**Please review!**


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